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The Reimagining of Thornwood House

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The Reimagining of Thornwood House by Jaleigh Johnson

This is a cozy (though not too cozy) fantasy worth settling down to read and savor. Thornwood House needs a new caretaker as it’s grieving longtime caretaker Amelia, but is picky about who it will accept. The house is sentient, though it doesn’t exactly talk, mostly expressing its moods. And despite the feet shown on the book jacket, the house very rarely travels. This is definitely not Baba Yaga’s hut.

Evie Sharpe is a land witch used to dealing with natural disasters for ECRA. She wants to adopt her foster daughter Ruby, now 11, and needs a less dangerous job. Rub also has a magical talent and ECRA doesn’t want to let them relocate. Evie and Ruby take the train to Iskendra. The caretaker job also includes caring for the villagers of Iskendra. Evie is like an apothecary with magical plants. The house, which is not an inn, is in bad shape, especially after some recent traveling. A helpful neighbor, hard work, and a little magic all help Evie and Ruby settle in, though Evie hasn’t yet bonded with Thornwood House. The house won’t let her into Amelia’s study, either. Some villagers, including one or two with magical talents, aren’t very welcoming, though others are.

Evie and Ruby bike around the town and walk through the Thornwood. Evie’s not much of a cook, but delicious meals are still enjoyed. There are secrets and wonders to be found, as well as great dangers. Ruby makes friends with two kids her age, as well as a neighbor’s dog.

There are many cozy fantasy novels currently available that are just middling in quality and rather forgettable. This book is in the top tier. While their stories are not very similar, Sarah Beth Durst is among several authors to write blurbs for this book. I haven’t read anything else by Jaleigh Johnson but look forward to reading more.

Brenda

North to the Future

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North to the Future: An Offline Adventure Through the Changing Wilds of Alaska by Ben Weissenbach

Young journalist Ben Weissenbach, when not scrolling on his phone, is fascinated by Alaska. At 20, he spent the summer of 2019 with climate scientist and adventurer Roman Dial trekking across the eastern Brooks Range. During another trip to Alaska he experienced an Arctic winter fortnight on Kenji Yohikawa’s off-grid cabin near Fairbanks, tending to his reindeer. Ben also flew over part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with glaciologist Matt Nolan, occasionally dealing with smoke-filled skies.

The longest section of the book is about a hiking and pack rafting expedition in the Western Brooks Range in 2021, led by Roman Dial, studying the spread of spruce trees in the Arctic. Many adventures and misadventures are described, including encounters with wolves and grizzly bears, along with his struggle as to simply be present in the amazing expanse of Alaska. I very much enjoy the combination of real-life adventure, travel, science, and memoir, and look forward to reading what he’s up to next.

Brenda

Uprooted

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Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Dark, with marvelous storytelling, this fantasy novel is decidedly NOT cozy, and not recommended for bedtime reading. It is also very unlike the Temeraire series by Novik in which Temeraire is a dragon bonded to a naval captain in the Napoleonic Wars. Her book Spinning Silver is probably a good readalike, but I haven’t read it (yet).

Agnieska grows up in the village of Dvernik, in a valley near the Wood, which is a very scary place. Agnieska’s friend Kasia is beautiful and is sure to be chosen by the Dragon, a wizard named Sarkan, when they are 17. When Agnieska the untidy and untalented is chosen instead, it’s a shock to the village, the girls, and their mothers. Every ten years a girl is chosen from the valley villages, later they have enough education and money to move to the city and be independent.

Agnieska was chosen because she has magic. Her magic isn’t like Sarkan’s, and her first months in the Tower are a struggle. Then Wensa, Kasia’s mother, comes for help. Kasia’s been taken to the Wood. A book of spells by Jaga (aka Baba Yaga) may be helpful.

So, the adventures begin, in the Wood, the Tower, and in the heart of the Kingdom, when the Queen comes out of the wood. Kasia and Agnieska, plus a little prince and princess, are the heart of this compelling, spellbinding story.

Brenda